1. Technical Field
This invention relates to hose guides and, more particularly, to a directional hose guide for supporting breather hoses in a medical care environment.
2. Prior Art
With the advent of technology, the medical field has seen an increase in the use of electronic equipment to assist individuals with their breathing and to assist medical personnel in monitoring their patients. As the design of such equipment would have it, there is a need for the patient to be connected to the device to allow proper functioning thereof. For example, respirators are coupled to the patient via a number of tubes that deliver oxygen to them and heart rate monitors are connected to the patient through a number of electrodes directly attached to the patient.
Wires, tubes, hoses and other conduits thus become suspended between the patient and the device or machine they are coupled to. Such wires etc. creates an inconvenient mass that only has a tendency to impede the work of caretakers, while also severely limiting the movement of the patient, since excessive movement may cause some vital monitoring equipment to become detached.
A commonly employed solution is to attach the wires, tubes, hoses etc. to the frame of the patient's bed, or some other support surface, with tape or some other crude means of attachment. This conveniently grants easier access for caretakers, such as doctors and nurses, to the patient. However, tying the tubes etc. down in such a fashion only further limits the movement of the patient, since the tension on the tubes etc. is only increased, which in turn decreases the amount of pull that is required for same to become detached.
Accordingly, a need remains for a breather hose supporting apparatus in order to overcome the above-noted shortcoming. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a directional hose guide that is easy to install and use, durable in design, attachable to many surfaces, increases the patient's comfort and grants easier access for caretakers to the patient. The pivoting nature of such a directional hose guide allows a patient to easily move about without the danger of accidentally pulling a cord, hose or tube from its connection point. The attachment clamp also allows the hose guide to be suspended from any number of support surfaces, ranging from bed frames to tables, without interfering with the patient's care. Such a directional hose guide is especially appealing to hospitals, nursing homes, veterinary clinics, dental offices and walk-in-clinics, to name only a few.